traumatic brain injury

All her life, Emily has felt different from other kids. Between therapist visits, sudden uncontrollable bursts of anger, and unexplained episodes of dizziness and loss of coordination, things have always felt not right. For years, her only escape was through the stories she’d craft about herself and the world around her. But it isn’t until a near-fatal accident when she’s twelve years old that Emily and her family discover the truth: a grapefruit sized benign brain tumor at the base of her skull.

In her memoir, All Better Now, Emily Wing Smith chronicles her struggles with both mental and physical disabilities during her childhood, the devastating accident that may have saved her life, and the means by which she coped with it all: writing.

The Mental Health Foundation will honor award-winning TV journalist Bob Woodruff at its annual August Evening in Saratoga, Monday August 18 at the Saratoga National Golf Course.

Woodruff, whose miraculous recovery from traumatic brain injury suffered while on assignment for ABC TV in Iraq in 2006, will be recognized for his outstanding work with the Bob Woodruff Foundation. The Bob Woodruff Foundation helps returning veterans address their life challenges, including mental health issues.

As proponents of Mixed Martial Arts kick off what they call the 17th round of fighting for regulated professional MMA in New York, a new study says about a third of matches end in knockout or technical knockout, indicating a higher incidence of brain trauma than boxing or other martial arts.

22-year-old Kevin Pearce had just come off of the most successful competitive season of his snowboarding career, challenging the dominance of his friend and rival, snowboarding legend Shaun White. Kevin’s professional ascent came at a time when snowboarding tricks were becoming more and more breathtaking – but also more dangerous.

On December 31, 2009, while riding the slopes of Park City, Utah in final training for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Kevin missed his landing and took a hard fall.

He was airlifted to the hospital, where doctors scrambled to save his life as his family flew from their home in Vermont to be at his side. When Kevin finally woke up from his coma - that was only the beginning of a long road to recovering from his Traumatic Brain Injury. From language to vision, motor skills to memory, Kevin had to come to terms with his new impairments.

Two organizations in Western Massachusetts have joined to create a support group for those suffering from brain injury, hoping to provide a needed service in Northern Berkshire County.

Scott Doane, a case manager with Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, or BFAIR, said that he didn’t see his own need for a support group for those living with acquired or traumatic brain injury, until long after he realized he was affected himself.

Alan is joined by New Paltz resident Joel Goldstein, who works as a transportation and logistics executive. The founding president of Southern Ulster YMCA, Goldstein is an adoption advocate and activist who has two adopted children. Goldstein is the author of No Stone Unturned, which chronicles the story of his son, Bart Goldstein, and his long recovery from traumatic brain injury after a 2001 car accident.